Haldeman retires after 30 Extension years £SBY LAUREL SCHAEFFER ■ Staff Correspondent LEESPORT After thirty years of “service, James Haldeman, Berks County’s Senior County Extension Agent, is retiring. , Bom and raised on a farm in Danboro, agriculture has always remamed his calling. Haldeman’s career with the Cooperative Extension Service began in Feburary 1950 when he was assigned to Montgomery County. As an assistant agent, he worked mainly with 4-H clubs and m agricultural engineering. In less than four years, however, he was reassigned to become the county agent for Berks County in October, 1953. He has been there ever smce, working with farm families and the many Aproblems they have faced in past twenty-seven years. Haldeman has seen Berk’s agriculture change rapidly and has been instrumental in 'helping farm productivity withm-the county increase as farm numbers decreased. Working through the Extension Service, a program established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Haldeman has been the “grass roots con tact” through which new information and improved farming practices have been passed down from the state universities to the farming population. It has been this role which the county agent says he has enjoyed most. “Working on the production level with farm families and seeing my recommendations being put to use with the resulting increased productivity has been the most enjoyable aspect of my job,” he told Lancaster Farming. Haldeman accepted his role with the Extension Service after graduating from Penn State, where he majored in agronomy. Before attending college he spent 3%' years in the Air Force as a fighter pilot. During his hitch, he and his wife Betty were married. Over the years, the Haldeman’s were blessed with three children: Kathleen, now residing m California; Donald, who operates a greenhouse and vegetable farm at R 1 Leesport; and James Jr., an assistant county agent in York County. Haldeman’s respon sibilities in the Extension office included office management, field crops, dairy, poultry, and agricultural engineering. He has also been involved in increasing the cooperation in educational programs with surrounding county ex tension offices as various commoditiy organizations have grown into multi county associations. This senior county agent has seen his office staff increase from four em ployees to the present 15, growing to meet the new problems communities have to face. Today the Extension service is involved in community problems such as resource development as well as the traditional educational responsibilities earned out before. “In more recent times, county agents have been able to more or less specialize in various areas where they had to be able to field questions from all areas m earlier years,” Haldeman explained. Ex- Uncaster Farming, Saturday, July 26, 1960—A21 Berks County Agent Jim Haldeman is retiring after over 30 years of f service tension work has become are less than 400 dairy farms more complex, he added. in the county. Thirty years Haldeman has seen 4-H ago there were three times programs and enrollment that number. The number of increase dramatically cows have decreased m that throughout the county. This time span from ap year he said he expects the proxunately 35,000 head to county enrollment to reach somewhere less than 30,000 3,000 and keep growing. tdfaay. Li spite of this In recent years, 4-H clubs decrease in dairymen and have been started for low dairy cows, milk production income members residing in has been continually in urban areas of the county, creasing.” Today the excension staff Today there are increased has the equivalent of 3% full numbers of crop farmers in time employees working Berks County, and there has with 4-H programs alone. been heavy expansion m Prior to 1974, the offices of swine and poultry industry tne Berks County Extension m the last few years. The Service had always been poultry expansion has based m the city of Reading, mainly been m broiler too inaccessible to farm production in the western people, Haldeman stated, end of the county, Haldeman But with the building of the added. Berks County Agricultural The retiring agent pointed Center, Haldeman’s office out farms in the area had ttoo moved docor to the increased in size rapidly farming community, following World War n but making the Extension since have decreased to Service’s job more efficient, about one-third the number, and easier to administer. ‘?The farms today are more “There has been closer specialized and investment contact with farmers since has increased then,” the county agent dramatically,” he noted, remarked, “and more “However, the basic farmers have become aware problems faced by farmers of our services.” today haven’t changed. Noting how much agriculture has changed smce he began his career, Haldeman commented on the changing but stable dairy business m Berks Co. “Today,” he began, “there Economics is still the name of the game.” A major problem he sees many farmers faced with today is the labor shortage. Finding competent and affordable labor is a difficult task, he said. The gradual increase in regulations affecting the farming community does not concern him, however. “Most of the regulations affecting farmers are not too far out of line,” Haldeman stated. What does the future hold in store for the Extension service? Haldeman said he believes that soon most recommendations coming from an Extension office will be through computers. In many cases the information will flow directly to the farm, he predicted. When asked what the future holds in store for the retiring agent, Haldeman just smiled, then commented that there were no definite plans yet but working with his son’s greenhouse and vegetable business was a possibility. Most likely he will catch-up on some fishing or other recreation, he said, as long as he can stay “out from under his wife’s feet.” One thing for certain he will definitely be missed by many farmers and other agricultural people in Berks County.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers